A plural or diminutive form of 'piggy,' meaning little pigs or used affectionately for pigs; also refers to fingers or toes in children's language.
From 'pig' (Old English 'picga') plus the diminutive suffix '-ie' or '-y.' The word became popular for cute or baby-talk references to both actual pigs and, famously, to the nursery rhyme 'This Little Piggy' where it refers to toes.
The nursery rhyme 'This Little Piggy Went to Market' uses 'piggies' for toes because the rhyme is ancient—it dates to at least the 1700s—and it teaches children body awareness while the market reference originally meant the pigs would be sold there, giving the joyful rhyme a darker historical meaning.
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